All Things New: A New Kind Of Day

Key Bible Verses

• Lamentations 3:22-24
• Jeremiah 31:31-33

‍

Sermon Quotes

From Pastor Josh Laxton

The only way to get “a new you” is to receive the new life that Christ made available through His death and resurrection. 

The new you can face old days in a new kind of way.

When you are tempted to fret about your dreaded messes, remember God’s faithfulness to provide new and fresh mercies.

God’s faithfulness is greater than our fretting.

DIGGING DEEPER

Lamentations 3:24 states, “God is my portion and therefore I will wait for Him.” 

We wait for many things, like jobs, restoration in relationships, people to come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, healing, and direction on next steps. Waiting isn’t easy. We can grow weary of waiting and fail to see or comprehend God’s plans for us. Our feelings tell us we are in a wasteland or desert, and worry, fretting and doubt can creep into our spiritual life.   

Lamentation 3:22-24 states that God’s compassion is new every morning, that He is faithful to see us through all of life’s circumstances and that He loves us.  

God assures us He is always with us and He will never leave us or forsake us. He loves us and hears our cries. We have confidence that God knows exactly what is happening, why it is happening, and what will happen next. Everything is under His sovereign control. We can rest in the knowledge that God is our portion, we are to wait on Him, and that it is even good for us to learn to wait on God.  Lamentations 3:26 states, “It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”  

God wants us to press into this time of waiting with prayer and anticipation of what God will do through His power in our lives. We can rest assured that we are safe and cared for and know that nothing will separate us from God’s love. Luke 21:28 reminds us, “Now when these things begin to happen, then look up and lift your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Let us be faithful and be willing to be in God’s place of waiting as He provides new and fresh mercies each morning.

WHAT NOT TO MISS

Main point: The new you can face old ways in a new kind of way.

Here are four new ways through which the new you can face old days:

1. God is sovereign over our sorrows. “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope.” Lamentations 3:21

• God chooses to allow sorrow, suffering, and pain because of our sin and to make us discontent with the way things are.
• God chooses to allow Satan and a fallen world to bring sorrow, suffering, and pain to deepen our faith and draw us to Him.
• God chooses to allow sorrow, suffering, and pain as a catalyst to bring others to Him.
• Just because God doesn’t stop us from experiencing sorrow doesn’t mean that He isn’t sovereign over sorrow.
• What does God want to teach us in our sorrow?

2. God’s covenantal love will never cease laboring for His glory and our good. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed…” Lamentations 3:22

• A covenant is a formal relationship between two parties whereby a solemn commitment, guaranteeing promises or obligations undertaken by one or both parties, is sealed with an oath.
• Forming covenants is how God chose to act throughout redemptive history, showing love for Himself and His creation/people.
• God obligates Himself to see each covenant through.
• God’s people were disloyal, unfaithful, unloving, and unworthy. In contrast, God’s love was loyal and enduring, never failing. 
• God’s ultimate covenant was seen in the sending of Jesus, His only Son, to die for our sins so that we can have eternal life through Jesus.  

3. God provides daily mercies in our dreaded messes. “....for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

• Because of God’s unconditional covenantal love for His people, His mercies, His compassions and His lovingkindness never fail and are fresh every morning. 
• We may wake up to a mess, but we can rest with great confidence that God’s mercies will meet us in our mess.
• When we are tempted to fret about our dreaded messes, remember God’s faithfulness to provide new and fresh mercies.
• To experience fresh/new mercies look from a new perspective, focus on a new dimension, look for new details or look through a new lens. 
• When you are tempted to fret about your dreaded messes, remember God’s faithfulness to provide new and fresh mercies.

4—Our future isn’t a funeral, but life with the Father. “I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion (inheritance); therefore I will wait for Him.” Lamentations 3: 24

• God is my inheritance. The Father is my future. I will wait on Him.
• I am not waiting on my funeral; I am waiting on my Father.
• The only way we are able to utter this hopeful truth is because we have Jesus. Jesus is the way to the Father. Jesus is the way to hope. Jesus is the means by which we have the portion, the inheritance in the Father. 
• Even though there might be a funeral-like environment, that is not the finale of our future—our Father is.
• If you have a new you, then you can face old days in a new kind of way.

Life Application

This week make a list of everything that God brings to your mind that you are currently waiting for. 

At the bottom of the list write:

Lamentations 3:21-24  (New International Version)

21 Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;
    Great is your faithfulness.

24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

Small Group Discussion Questions

• How would you describe your life as a weather forecast? (sunshine, cloudy, windy, scattered thunderstorms,rainy,etc.)
• What are some ways to be compassionate to others as we realize that God's compassions for us never fail and are new every morning?
• How is the Lord your portion or your inheritance?
• What are some ways to wait for God?
• Why does God tell us we need to wait for Him?

Daily Devotional Bible Passages

• Monday- God's Love-John 3:16; 1 John 4:9-11; Romans 8:37-39
• Tuesday - God's Compassion- Psalm 86:15; Isaiah 54:10; Isaiah 49:13
• Wednesday-God's Faithfulness-Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalm 33:4; Isaiah 25:1
• Thursday -God's Generosity-Ephesians 2:4-5; Philippians 4:19; Ephesians 1:7-9
• Friday - God's Provision-Philippians 4:6; James 1:17; Psalm 33:18-22; Philippians 4:19

Prayer

Lord, we trust in Your wisdom and have confidence in You as we joyfully wait on You as our source of strength and help. We are thankful and blessed that you love us and are compassionate in so many unique and amazing ways. Just as your compassion never fails towards us, we ask that you would make our hearts tender and compassionate toward others. Guide us to see ways that we can reach out to others and show your faithfulness, compassion and kindness as we go about our daily lives this week. Burden our hearts for neighbors and nations who might not even know that they are lost and need You to make all things new every morning. 

‍

Additional Resources

–Sign up for the Northland Newsletter.

‍

–Sign up to be baptized on April 29 or April 30.  

‍

–Sign up to join Exploring Your Faith.

‍

–Sign up to join Foundations of Your Faith.